Sydney shark warning after pet dog attacked

Pet owners have been warned — a shark swimming off a Sydney beach has managed to get its pincers on a pooch.

A pet dog was taken by a shark at the weekend while it swam off a south Sydney beach.

The owners of the American Staffordshire Terrier were left traumatised after watching their pet get dragged under the water after they had thrown a stick for it.

Authorities from Sutherland Shire Council say the pet dog was in waters at the off-leash beach at Bonna Point in Kurnell on Sunday evening when he was attacked.

Lifeguards were patrolling Kurnell beaches on Monday to warn people to keep out of the water, the council said.

Signs have also been installed to alert the public to the shark sighting.

“NSW Department of Primary Indus- tries advises people to avoid swimming or surfing when it is dark or during twilight hours and encourages the use of the SharkSmart app which has safety tips for swimmers, surfers, divers, snorkellers and spearfishers,” the council said in a statement.

According to the Taronga Australian Shark Attack Fact File there have been nine attacks in NSW since the beginning of last year.

At least five of those have occurred in northern NSW, close to the town of Ballina, including the death of Japanese surfer Tadashi Nakahara in early 2015.

In a bid to keep swimmers safe, the state Government announced in February that up to 100 “smart” drum lines will be placed along the NSW coastline with the focus in the state’s north.

There are already 15 smart drum lines off NSW and another 85 will be rolled out. — AAP